Indicator for goods, prices, etc.



Nov; 4

J. B. RUETTIMAN N INDICATOR FOR GOODS, RRIGES, ETC

Filed fibril 28 n a; T mi T TTG A m P a Hu uMHU Patented Nov. 4, 1924-.

UNETE SIT-S Parent em.

JOSEPH BENEDICT BUETTIMANN. OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA,ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF T MILTON FRAGOS, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

INDICATOR FOR GOODS, PRICES, ETC. I

Application filed April 28, 1924. Serial No. 709,333.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JosnPH Banner or RUETTIMANN, a citizen of Switzerland, who have declared my intention to become a citizen of the United States, residing at St.

Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Indicators for Goods, Prices, Etc, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to changeable signs for displaying the names and prices of goods at stores, market places, etc. It may also be used for indicating arrival and departure of trains, and many other kinds of information.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the new indicator.

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of Fig. 1 with the ornamental parts of the top omitted.

Fig. 3 is a top view of Fig. 1 with the top cover removed.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged right hand side view of the lower portion of Fig. 1 with the side door 13 open the same as in dotted lines in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detail view showing how each roller may be rotated by a he Fig. 6 is the lower portion of Fig. 4 modified.

Referring to the drawing by reference numerals, 7 is the top, 8 the bottom, 9 the back, 10 the front and 10 and 11 are the side walls of an inclosure or cabinet serving as the frame for the mechanical parts. Also a vertical partition 12 belongs to said framework. Each side of the frame is closed by a door 13 hinged at 14 and held closed by a latch 15. The back 9 of the inclosure has a large opening 16 closed by etc, are displayed with a price indicating number to the right of each name.

The names of the goods are printed on flexible strips 23 and the prices upon much narrower strips 24: (see Figs. 1 and 3). Each strip 23 is slidably stretched over metallic guiding bars 25 held by the frame bars 10'--11 12 (see Fig. 3) and has its ends'secured to and partly rolled one upon a roller 26 and the other on a roller 26. One end portion of each roller forms a journal 27 resting in a slanting notch 28 in theframe bar 12 and a longer journal 29 (see Fig. 3) serving as a fingerhold for rotating the rollers; said long journal may also have a polygonal end portion 30 for a key 31 to stretch the canvas with. Each roller. is held frictionally in the desired position by a spring arm 32 serving as a brake. The canvas may be secured to each roller by tacks as 33 in Fig. 5 or by any other suitable means.

The narrow strips 24 are arranged like the wide strips but they are secured on short rollers 26 26, j ournaled in axial lines with the long rollers and have each a projecting portion 29 to turn it by and'a polygonal end portion 30 for a key like 31, in Fig. 5, and is held by a friction arm 32 (see Figs. 4 and 5), although Fig. 5 shows the arrangement of both the long and short rollers in general.

In Fig. 3, 34: designates electric lights which may be mounted in the rear of the inclosure so as to shed light upon the rear side of the translucent canvas on which the words and prices may thereby become more conspicuous.

In the modification in Fig. 6 the rollers 26 and 26 are placed one back of the other. Inthis case a lamp rearward of them could not shine on the displaying portion of the canvas and is therefore mounted as lamp 34 on a light bar 35.

In Fig. 4: the notches 28 admit sufiicient light from lamps 3 to reach also the strips 24. The inner sides of doors 17 having reflective surfaces.

, Each canvas strip 23 has printed upon it a series of names of goods preferably of a certain class, say fish, meats or bakery goods, and the narrow strip readable in line therewith carries a series of prices enabling the merchant to display the desired price by simply turning one of the rollers holding the price strip. winding said strip say upward for increasing prices or downward for decreasing prices as the market may change.

In similar manner, it the device he used at a railway station, the time of arrival or leaving of trains may be displayed by eX- posing the desired part of strip 24:, and the name of the train likewise exposed by turning it into view on the strip 23.

When it is desired to exchange or repair any of the strips the doors 17 are opened and the desired pair of rollers removed from the notches 28, the strips exchanged for new ones rollers replaced and the doors closed.

In certain instances the strips 23 and their rollers may be dispensed with and the names of the goods, trains, etc., printed on a solid board or on a single surface parallel lines ending near the numbers or information contained on the changeable strips 24 moved by the short rollers.

What I claim is:

1. In an indicator device of the class described a hollow uprigl'it frame having transparent front, a back with doors large enough to permit access to the interior parts and opposite side doors hinged to the hack, vertically disposed frame bars spaced from the side doors and havingin their rear edge forwardly inclined notches, a series of pairs of comparatively long rollers journaled in the notches and having secured to them the ends of Flexible guided strips, each of which carries the name ot some subject; a series of pairs of shorter rollers in some or the notches and arranged linearly with the long rollers. comparatively narrow, flexible strips secured each with its ends to a pair of the short rollers and giving upon its various parts diifcrent information about the adjacent subject. and means for turning and tor braking said rollers; each oi? said long and short rollers havin; one of its journals projected beyond its bearing in the notch and serving as the means to get hold of in rotating the rollers when the side doors are opened.

The structure specified in claim It, and means for throwing light upon the rear sides of the indicating strips.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

JOSEPH BENEDICT RUETTIIVIANN. 

